


Two Times Mako Thought Wu Was Proposing (and the One Time Wu Was)

by lightningsmcqueen



Series: wuko week 2020 [3]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: 2+1 - Freeform, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Wuko Week, wuko week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:27:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26297869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightningsmcqueen/pseuds/lightningsmcqueen
Summary: There are two times Mako sees Wu's proposal coming, only he's wrong both times. The one time he doesn't guess what's going on is the moment Wu proposes.a 2+1 fic that ends with engaged wuko
Relationships: Mako/Prince Wu (Avatar)
Series: wuko week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1906783
Comments: 11
Kudos: 178





	Two Times Mako Thought Wu Was Proposing (and the One Time Wu Was)

**Author's Note:**

> wuko week 2020 day 4: fluff

The first time it happens, they’re at an admittedly dingy restaurant in Republic City they’ve stopped at on their way home. Mako has spent the day scoping out places for the new children’s home he’s gotten the approval to build, and Wu tagged along because he was funding 80% of it and also figured he didn’t have much else to do. 

Wu is holding Mako’s hand on the table as he rambles on about zoning issues or something, and Wu accidentally knocks off a dumpling from Mako’s plate as he twists their hands around. Not wanting to interrupt Mako’s train of thought, Wu gently disconnects their hands, then does something he never thought he’d do – kneels down on the gross floor to pick up the dumpling.

He doesn’t realize that Mako has stopped talking until he looks up at him and finds his face red and eyes wide. Wu frowns at him, utterly confused, and goes to ask what’s wrong, but Mako cuts him off.

“Wu are you… right now? In this random restaurant?” Mako asks in a rushed whisper.

It takes Wu a moment to put together what on Earth he’s talking about and then, when he does, his face breaks out into a smug grin as he says, “Now, Mako, why would I do that?”

“I don’t know!” Mako’s face isn’t as red as before, but his eyebrows are still sky high and his eyes are wide. “We’ve been dating for a while so I just figured… I just thought…”

“Spirits, Mako, are you waiting for me to propose?” Wu is sliding back into his seat now and dusting off his knee, the fallen dumpling has been carefully places off to the side. His grin is incredibly wide and self-satisfied and Mako kind of wants to melt into a puddle. “You are! Aren’t you!” He kicks his feet under the table like a giddy child. 

“I just thought if it was going to happen you’d be the one to do it, is all.” Mako’s running his hands over his face, mortified. “You’re good at planning.” 

“I am good at planning! So when it does happen, be ready.” Wu takes an innocent sip from his tea, and takes joy in Mako hiding his face in his hands. “It’s okay, babe. I know exactly how I’m going to propose.” And Mako’s head snaps up, and for a moment Wu thinks he’s going to ask more questions, push the topic further, but he doesn’t. 

The rest of the night is spent talking about what their plans are for tomorrow – dinner with Bolin, Opal, Korra, and Asami – and if they need to bring a housewarming gift for Korra and Asami. Wu says yes, Mako says no. They don’t bring up talk of marriage or proposing again; Mako takes Wu’s hand in his as they walk home, and everything feels normal and Wu knows he wants this forever.

* * *

The second time it happens, Wu will admit he knew what he was doing. He had sent a messenger hawk to tell Mako to come to Air Temple Island around 5:30 with a note saying to dress nice. Mako arrives at 5:30, on time as always, and stops in his tracks as he takes in the sight before him. There’s a lantern path leading up to the courtyard with pink and white lanterns alternating, and he can hear jazz music coming from up ahead. He looks around the dock, trying to see if anyone has any idea of what’s happening, but he’s alone of course. His stomach twists as he walks further and further up the path and finds Wu standing in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by people, with his hand in his pocket. 

Wu’s eyes lock on Mako and he waves him over excitedly, the other people he’s talking to leave as Mako approaches. Wu smiles up at him and all Mako wants to do is squish his face between his hands and ask what he’s doing. Wu’s wearing the shade of green that matches his eyes, and his hair has that one perfect curl in front and he has gold eyeliner on to match the gold accents in his outfit and Mako thinks he looks nice – he always thinks that – but also he looks too nice.

“Hello, Mako. Lovely evening we’re having, isn’t it?” Wu asks as he swirls some drink around in a fancy glass, which he then places on the table nearest them. 

“Y-yeah.” Mako coughs to clear his throat, “Why’re you talking like that?”

“What ever do you mean, my love? I’m speaking the way I normally do.” Wu’s still grinning up at him, and Mako narrows his eyes. 

Wu leans up and quickly kisses Mako and pats his cheek with the hand not in his pocket. He then does what Mako has been worrying about all night – he drops to one knee. Mako lets out a tiny yelp as Wu locks eyes with him. 

“Mako,” Wu begins in a quiet, sincere voice, and Mako’s heart beats faster. He pauses before continuing, drawing in a dramatic breath, and then in the same tone as before says, “Would you take a step back? You’re on my shoe.” And then he bends down and moves Mako’s foot off the tip of his shoe and rubs at it with a cloth from his pocket to get the scuff marks off. 

“What.” Mako’s voice is flat but breathless and Wu looks up from his place on the ground and shrugs.

“You were on my shoe! I can’t walk around a party with my shoe all dirty! What if someone notices and then I’m the talk of the town! Wu and his dirty shoe! Hold on, that rhymes–” Wu pops up as he’s talking and cuts himself off as he meets Mako’s eyes.

They aren’t angry, more fondly annoyed, and that’s Wu’s sweetspot. If there were a risk of Mako being seriously annoyed with Wu, he wouldn’t have played it up, he knows him better than that, but it still comes as a relief to him when Mako rolls his eyes and wraps an arm around him, pulling him in close. He drops a kiss on top of Wu’s head

“So if this wasn’t for me, what’s this for?” He asks and feels Wu laugh against him. 

Wu’s back is to Mako’s front and they’re both observing the party, swaying gently to music playing int he background as they talk. Mako’s hands are gently resting over Wu’s on his stomach. 

“So self-centered, Mako. This is for Zhu Li and Varrick’s anniversary! I told you about a thousand times. I took you gift shopping with me. You picked out the gift.” With every fact Wu points out Mako feels more and more like an idiot. 

“Oh. Right. I didn’t put that together.” Mako admits and Wu gently pats his hand and hums to in acknowledgment. 

They stand together for a few more minutes, Mako calmly listening to Wu rant about proper stemware for a party and how Tenzin doesn’t know enough to be trusted to throw one on his own, and then Varrick and Bolin are pulling them onto the dance floor and before they know it, the party is winding down and lanterns are being blown out. 

They both crash onto the bed and sleep in their clothes, Mako curling into Wu as he does every night, and Wu wraps his arms around Mako. 

“I’ll say yes.” Mako groggily whispers against Wu’s chest.

“Huh?” Wu is teetering on the verge of sleep, he can’t handle a conversation right now. 

“Whenever you ask. I’ll say yes.” 

“Oh. Thank you.” Wu kisses Mako’s head before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Wu is resting his head on Mako’s shoulder as Mako listens to the radio. Wu mindlessly toys with a loose thread on Mako’s pants, his eyes feeling more and more heavy with each blink. Mako smooths his hand over Wu’s hair and gently runs his fingers through it, playing with the ends of his curl between his fingers. 

It’s a regular night in for them, nothing special or unique about it at all; which is why when Wu thinks that this would be the perfect moment to propose, he’s shocked. He surprises himself with the thought, honestly. It hits him at once that right now, in the quiet of their living room at 11:32 on a Tuesday night, is the perfect time to ask Mako the big question. He sits with the thought for a moment, mulling it over in his head until he decides to go with it. 

Removing himself from Mako’s side, he wordlessly walks to their bedroom and he can feel Mako’s eyes on his back as he does so. Mako watches Wu go to the bedroom, but doesn’t ask any questions, Wu sometimes will just wander around their apartment like a ghost. 

In the bedroom, Wu reaches into the very back of his bedside table and pulls out a box with an old ring he had gotten from Mako’s grandmother a year ago. She had been so happy when he asked her if she had anything he could propose with that Wu thought she was going to die right then and there. Thankfully, she didn’t, and she can back with a simple gunmetal band with dark red gems neatly inlaid around it. It was perfect, and she gave it to Wu in an old wooden box that had their family name engraved on it. Now, Wu stands at the bedroom doorway, running his thumb over the engraving and psyching himself up. 

He walks out into the living room and pauses for a moment when he sees Mako sticking his tongue out of the side of his mouth as he underlines something in the newspaper. He can’t wait to have this for the rest of his life. 

“Mako?” He clears his throat as he stands in front of him, waiting to have his attention.

Mako glances up at him before leaning over and shutting off the radio and putting his pen down. All of his attention is on Wu now.

“Are you okay? You look… queasy.” Mako edges forward on the cushion he’s sat on, concern for Wu being his number one priority. 

Wu gives him an uneven smile in response and a weak laugh before launching into a short speech, “I’m okay. I’m like, really good, actually?” His hands are shaking and he can feel himself squeezing the ring box in his hand. “When I’m with you I always feel really good.” And now his vision is starting to blur. He drops to one knee a little more clumsily than he would like and he hears Mako inhale sharply, “You have to let me get through this, no interruptions.” He thinks Mako nods, again, he can’t really see right now. “Mako you have meant the world to me for a long time. You were my first friend, my first love, my first everything, and I can’t imagine going through anymore firsts in life without you. You’re my best friend and the only person I never get tired of seeing or talking to, even if I don’t fully understand all the council talk. You care about me in a way I never thought possible, and I try to do the same for you because you deserve so much more than the world has handed you. Sometimes I worry that one day you’ll wake up and decide I’m not good enough anymore, or that you never really loved me in the first place, but then you look at me and tell me you love me, and I know that everything is going to be alright. You make me feel worth loving, and I can’t express to you how much that means to me. For years I thought I was only good as an heir, that I wasn’t worth loving because my role in life was to rule, not be happy, but you came in and slowly helped me realize that I can have whatever role in life I want. And that I’m worth love.” Wu pasues briefly to wipe at his eyes and sees Mako’s cheeks wet as well, and smiles a bit more. “And Mako, you are so, so brilliant and smart and caring and you’re worth the entire universe and then some. I can’t ever give you what you deserve, but I’m going to try each and every day. You are a good person, Mako. You don’t hear it enough, but you are. I wouldn’t be on my knee, sobbing, asking you to marry me if you weren’t.” Mako opens his mouth to speak, but Wu shushes him and continues, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want endless days of me making you wear facemasks and you pretending to hate it, I want to always wake up with you in my arms, I want your breathing to be the last thing I hear before bed and the first thing I hear when I wake up. I want you, Mako. Forever. Until the last star in the universe goes out, I want to be with you. You’re my person. Let me be yours.” He fumbles with the box now, and shakily opens it to reveal the ring to Mako. “Mako, will you marry me?”

He barely gets the words out before Mako is pulling him and kissing him – his forehead, his cheeks, his lips. Mako keeps repeating the word yes with each kiss and Wu feels on top of the world. Mako pauses his frantic kissing of Wu’s face to just hug him and hold him, and Wu relaxes into his hold. He’s no longer shaking, he’s now filled with excitement and joy and anticipation of the life ahead of them.

“I love you, so much.” Mako says into the crook of Wu’s neck. “I need you to know that. I love you, so, so much. You’re my person. Always have been, always will be.” And he’s crying again, but he doesn’t care. He’s engaged to Wu! He’s finally engaged to Wu, the man he loves. 

Wu puts the ring on Mako’s finger and then pulls him up by the hand.

“Where are we going?” Mako asks, admiring his ring as he walks. He has to ask Wu where he got it later, it seems familiar. 

“I’m taking my fiancé to bed.” Wu tells him with a wink over his shoulder, and Mako doesn’t think he’s ever going to get tired of that.


End file.
